Justice, finally
Justice was served through Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Delawar Hossain Sayedee being given death sentence yesterday for war crimes, the ruling Awami League-led alliance said. The BNP and religion-based parties in the opposition, however, maintained silence.
The Awami League-led 14-party alliance, youths and other people of the country had expected capital punishment of the Jamaat leader, said AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif at a 14-party press conference at AL chief's political office in Dhanmondi in the capital.
"Today, they got justice."
Hanif asked the party men not to be overwhelmed by the verdict.
Activists of the ruling alliance would remain on the streets to avert any chaos by the Jamaat-e-Islami, said Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon.
The 14-party has decided to hold demonstrations in all districts and upazilas on March 4 and in the capital on March 9, demanding that the war crimes trial be expedited.
When contacted, four top leaders of the BNP declined to comment on the verdict. While seven Islamist parties in a joint statement last night said Sayedee did not get justice as the ongoing Shahbagh movement, what they said, had influenced the verdict.
Earlier in the evening, Abdul Latif Nejami, chairman of Islami Oikya Jote, a partner in the BNP-led 18-party opposition coalition, and Nur Hossain Quasimi, convenor of Iman O Desh Rokkha Andolon, said they had nothing to say about the court judgment on Sayedee.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told reporters at his Secretariat office that the nation was going to get rid of the culture of impunity as the victims of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War got justice through the verdict.
Judges of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 passed on the verdict on the basis of documents and evidence, maintaining neutrality, Shafique said.
State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam said Jamaat might hatch conspiracies afresh following the verdict and that they could launch attacks on Gonojagoron Manchas set up across the country demanding capital punishment to all war criminals and other sensitive places.
However, BNP in a press statement, issued last night, lambasted the government for "killing the general people".
The party said the whole country was frightened as police, Rab and Awami League terrorists had created anarchy in the whole country.
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